I know there are a few here that enjoy watching and we even have a few players, so what's the take on Bertuzzi's hit that left Steve Moore with a concussion and a broken neck (Link) Kinda makes Aaron Yates look like a saint.
Thing is, It's ben going on in hockey for years. at least in this case he will be punished . unlike yates slap on the paw he got. and it's not the worst hit I've seen. their are players that have been jailed for less and those who got away with it. At least he didn't slash him with a highstick head shot like the guy who almost lost his eye. Makes you think all the stink will sort of put a reign in on the enforcers and paybacks goning on in the team's.
He's not the first to do so but it was an absolutely fuck'n unacceptable cheap-shot. And if he hadn't been pulled away, he would still be beating on an unconcious player. I'm all for protecting your own but this shit has incrementally now reached the breaking point of the intention of doing serious harm to another player. Bertuzzi should be banned from the game & face criminal charges if at all possible and a different expectation needs to be for a different standard of future play.
Bertuzzi's in deep shit. Totally unacceptable behavior. I'm not one who's in favor of law enforcement getting involved but I hope the NHL takes harsh action. I think a year-long ban (or more) ought to send the proper message.
To late. the law is already involved. last year a player( can't think of his name) got a month+ for assault with a deadly weapon, Highstick or slashing.
Well... as a Blue Liner I have been subjected to many minutes in the box. Enforcing is a way of keeping players from cheap shots, knowing that if they cheap shot your teammate they will be delt with. This unfortunately usually escalates to inappropriate violence. Take Matt Johnson, who sucker punched a favorite defensmen, Jeff Beukeboom and ended his career. That led to a brawl with Darren Langdon the next time they met up. To me it was necessary for Langdon to make retribution against Johnson... it's just the way it goes. I didn't see the hit... only read about it. But I think that if you have to hit someone from the back you should be banned from the NHL and it's Junior teams. Let them rot in the semi pro's. If you're not man enough to hit someone from the front or side you're a pussy and shouldn't be in the NHL. Just my $.02... Now you guys know why I have "Icy" in my nickname...
any body got a video of the shot in question? still have a player laying in a pool of blood is unacceptable.
I think so but I'd have to ask my son. He's got more of the memory cells still intact. He remembers everybodys names, numbers, stats in just about any N.American. sport. He's like the damn almanac of sports.
Thank Doyle. Hang the bastard by his huts. There was no call nor reason for the cheap shot punch to the head from behind. Suspension for life from hockey is too good for that assfuck. He should become Bubbas boyfrend in the slammer.
Well, seeing the video it isn't quite as bad as I anticipated. The punch wasn't what hurt... it was having his face planted that caused the damage. I can't say if that was intentional... the face drag, that is... but he still caused it, whether it's what he intended, or not. Either way it was a sucker punch, from the blind side. What pisses me off is the fact that he's wearing the "A" on his chest... he should be a guide for his teammates... not a thug.
He meets with the league 'enforcer today in Toronto. The whole thing was caught on tape from start to finish. Saw the footage from a couple different angles. The guy was out cold before he hit the ice. You can see in the one angle cleary how his body went limp before he went down. He did get hit in retaliation for the shot he gave the guy a few seconds earlier, but that's no excuse. The radio this morning mentioned that it was the accused's second time for this kind of shit, so with priors, he's fucked. And rightly so. Even if he were to get back on the ice now, the other teams will turn him into hamburger.His own teammates won't protect him either. I've played hockey all my life, and that's way over the line. Throw in the injury caused, and that boy is screwed. But then you have the politics. The team has a lot invested in him. If he gets banned, they lose all that it cost the team owner to get him. Signing money, draft picks, potential loss of revenue due to loss of his contribution, and resale value. So the team financially will not want to have him banned, and will be pulling out the high-priced help to keep him. Remember Shane Corson and what he did? To me, he got away with it. This prick has the chance to do so too, the precedent is there.
...which apparently was in retaliation for a hit from a previous game...... I can see how the vendetta's add to the excitement of the game, but it appears, in this case at least, that the level of violence just escalates from hit to hit to hit until something like this happens. There seems to be a vein of players right now that just don't know where the line is drawn, it's the "honour amongst thieves" thing. Is this just with the younger players who might think they have something to prove and haven't been taught proper respect yet?
From what I've seen, there's more violence in the junior leagues. They have more to prove and less to risk.
It depends on the league. There are some semi-pro teams... pro-hopefuls, per se... in which having an enforcer, someone who can fight well on skates regardless of his actual ability, is an integral part of the game. Other leagues, the players try to avoid fighting because they simply can't afford a major injury... they don't make enough money. But fighting is pretty much a part of the game... it has been since before I was born. It's the sucker punches that piss me off. It's an unwritten rule, you call someone out, you drop your gloves and go. You don't grab the back of someone's sweater and punch him in the side of the face.